Could It Be Borderline Personality Disorder?

When someone has anxiety, depression, or another form of mental health condition, symptoms are usually present day in and day out for weeks, months, or years.

People with borderline personality disorder (BPD), however, may have strong emotional episodes that last only hours at a time, flaring up time and again. And this serious psychiatric disorder is one that requires serious treatment. Why? It can destroy relationships, careers, and even someone’s life if it's not identified and brought under control.

Do any of these symptoms sound familiar?

Unstable Relationships

One of the major symptoms
of borderline
personality disorder is having volatile and
unstable relationships, even with close family and friends. People with
borderline personality disorder can quickly swing from having intense respect
and love for someone to suddenly becoming very angry and hating that loved one.
Any separation or change in an expected schedule can trigger an extreme
reaction and feelings of rejection in someone with borderline personality.

Unwarranted Anger

Situations that are
obviously out of another person's control or are truly insignificant can inflame
the temper of a person with borderline personality disorder. One of the common
borderline personality disorder symptoms is intense anger
that is out of proportion to the given situation — for instance, if a
parent or significant other has a work commitment that takes him away for a
short time, someone with BPD may blow up in anger and hostility out of a sense
of rejection and isolation.

Impulsive Spending and Other Risky Behaviors

Spending money carelessly and in excessive amounts is a risky and impulsive behavior that is characteristic of someone having an episode of borderline personality, but that’s not the only way people with BPD act out. Other destructive patterns seen with borderline personality disorder are unsafe sex, eating binges, gambling sprees, or risky driving. These are thought to be related to a poor self-image of the person with BPD.

Abusing Drugs or Alcohol

Substance abuse
problems and alcohol dependency are other destructive behaviors often seen in
people with borderline personality disorder. It's common for those with
borderline personality to turn to illicit drugs or to abusing alcohol
during episodes of borderline personality to attempt to find escape or relief.
All these issues must be treated in order to help better control borderline
personality disorder symptoms.

Hurting Oneself

Borderline
personality disorder symptoms can be extremely intense, and people with BPD
often have issues with body image and self-esteem. It's not uncommon for people
with BPD to try to hurt themselves in some way. Destructive behaviors could
include causing physical harm, such as cutting themselves. They may have suicidal
thoughts or actions; these require immediate
medical attention.

Feeling Empty Inside

When someone he loves
is physically gone — even just for a day or only a few hours
— the sense of isolation felt by the person with borderline
personality disorder often leads to an intense feeling of emptiness and the
inability to cope with the absence. Borderline personality disorder symptoms
may include a loss of self-worth, and a loved one’s being away — no
matter how innocent the reason for it — can trigger feelings of being
abandoned and emptiness.

Being Afraid of Being Alone

Lashing out in
anger, a hallmark of BPD, often stems from one basic yet intense and overriding
fear — the fear of being alone. People with borderline personality
disorder often go into a panic
or rage when they feel that they are being abandoned or are left alone, whether
that abandonment is real or imagined. Being so afraid of being alone can cause
serious problems in relationships.

How to Find Help for BPD Symptoms

Borderline personality disorder symptoms must be treated, and there are effective treatment options available. Medications, including mood-stabilizing drugs, anti-psychotics and antidepressants, can help manage symptoms. Different types of counseling and therapy, including psychotherapy and a new approach called dialectical behavior therapy, can be very useful in helping people with BPD control their illness. Therapy in a group setting can also encourage people to alter their behaviors by learning from peers struggling with the same problems.

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